The Set-Up
by Hidge
Summary: AU oneshot. April and Jackson are not impressed when their friends set them up on a weekend getaway. However, their moods quickly change. Japril with a side of Slexie. Please R&R!


**A/N: So I must admit that this idea came to me after I watched _Cabin in the Woods _(how cute is Jesse Williams in that movie? lol). This is my first attempt at an AU Grey's fic so I hope that you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's, or Dawson's Creek. Lol.**

* * *

_**Friday**_

Lexie Grey threw clothes into her best friend and roommate's overnight bag as fast as the other woman could take them out. "Lex!" April Kepner cried indignantly. "Knock it off!"

"You're coming with us," the brunette told the red-head adamantly. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I have a lot of work to do, Lexie," April argued, her voice becoming higher with every word.

Lexie stood up straight, placed her hands on her hips, and grinned in the most persuasive way that she knew how. "You have a 4.0 and you work your butt off; you deserve a break so you're coming with us. Mark's parents' cottage is gorgeous and there's a lake. You love the outdoors!"

"Lexie," April sighed in frustration, "I'm right in the middle of my MCAT prep. I can't just throw off my schedule. Besides," she began quietly, "I really don't wanna be your third wheel for a whole weekend."

She loved Lexie's boyfriend, Mark. She had known the guy for a very long time, but they were so disgustingly in love that they couldn't keep their hands off of each other, no matter who was around. She didn't want a front row seat for that, she saw it enough already, and she didn't want to disrupt their romantic weekend. She could use a roommate free house to do some intense studying.

"You won't be a third wheel!" Lexie declared excitedly.

"Why? Are Meredith and Derek going?" She inquired. Lexie shook her head so she tried again. "Alex and Jo?" She wasn't any more comfortable being the fifth wheel for a weekend but now she was just curious. Lexie shook her head once again and April's brow furrowed in confusion. "Callie?" Maybe Mark's gay best friend had decided to go with them.

"Nope," Lexie replied while overemphasizing the 'p' in the word. "Actually," she started deviously, "Mark's friend, Jackson, is coming along. He just transferred here and he doesn't know a lot of people."

April's eyes widened in horror as realization struck her. "Oh no! Lexie, no! You always do this! You're trying to set me up again!"

Lexie tried to quickly placate her friend. She knew that she had set her up on some pretty horrible dates in the past, but this was going to be different, she was sure of it. April needed to relax, and more importantly, she needed to get laid. She had only ever been with one guy and Lexie was of the belief that the rather heartbreaking experience had caused April to steer clear of relationships and men for far too long. She deserved to meet somebody good for her. Lexie had even intensely pre-screened this one. She had met Jackson Avery a few weeks ago and had trouble not swooning over him.

"April, this guy is perfect for you! I swear! He's cute. He's smart, pre-med just like you, and he's really sweet."

"The last guy you set me up with had more teddy bears than me and you combined!" April quickly reminded her.

Lexie at least had the decency to look remorseful. "Yeah, that was a bad call," she admitted. "But Jackson is a nice guy and totally not weird."

They both heard a horn honk and April turned to Lexie with a look of panic. "They're here! And you promised to bring a sacrificial lamb on this weekend getaway!" The red-head screeched.

"Calm down," Lexie said soothingly. "Go talk to Mark and I'll pack your bag." She pushed April out of the room so that she couldn't argue with her anymore.

April stumbled over the threshold and stared at her closed bedroom door in shock. She couldn't believe that Lexie had kicked her out of her own room! She smoothed down her hair in an effort to tame her rather unruly curls as she nervously made her way to the front door.

She pulled the door open and greeted Lexie's boyfriend with a smile. "Hey Mark," she called as he made his way up the walkway.

"Kepner!" Mark announced with a grin as he rushed towards her and lifted her into his arms and off of her feet. "Finally decided to come with us, huh?"

"More like I've been forced," she mumbled.

"Yeah, my girlfriend doesn't like to take no for an answer," he chuckled. "She tell you about Avery?" He grinned as he tilted his head backwards.

April peeked around his side and spotted a tall, dark-skinned man leaning against the front of Mark's jeep. "Please don't treat this like a set-up," she begged. "We don't need to make this anymore awkward than it already is."

"He's great," Mark assured her. "Best set of hands on the team." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively but she just stared back at him sternly. "And the eyes," he paused to whistle, "the guy's eyes are practically hypnotic. You'll be dropping your panties in no time."

She smacked his chest, but before she could cause him anymore bodily harm, Lexie appeared behind her. "Hey baby!" She exclaimed before she kissed Mark on the lips in greeting.

He happily smiled back at her. "I'll help you with the bags while they introduce themselves." And he slipped into the house with Lexie before April could protest.

She took a deep breath before she began her walk towards the jeep. As she got closer, she wished that she looked more presentable. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing a pair of shabby, blue denim shorts and an old, Green Bay Packers t-shirt, and the guy that she was walking towards was beautiful. Lexie had drastically understated his physical appeal when she had said that he was "cute". More like he was hot, and gorgeous, and dreamy, and everything in between. He was tall and muscular with closely shaven hair, and Mark had been right about his eyes. Now she felt even more awkward about the fact that they were being set-up. This guy probably dated supermodels, not dorky, plain girls like her.

He smiled at her before he spoke. "You must be April."

"And you're Jackson," she replied as she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he responded as he gently shook her hand. "Mark talks about you almost as much as he talks about Lexie."

April laughed as she awkwardly tucked a strand of wayward hair behind her ear. "Well I've known him longer. I introduced him to Lexie."

Jackson nodded as he nervously slipped his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "I like your shirt."

"Thanks," she murmured shyly. Of course he would notice her t-shirt, he played football.

Jackson opened his mouth to speak again but Mark and Lexie bounded out of the house laden with bags.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Mark announced enthusiastically.

"Can I change my clothes?" April quietly asked Lexie.

"You look great, don't worry about it," Lexie told her encouragingly. Her outfit accentuated all of her best features. She could already see that Jackson couldn't tear his eyes away from her legs, and her tight t-shirt showed off her chest. "And I packed all of your things. I even brought the book lying on your bedside table to appease you."

Lexie offered her the paperback novel and April smiled in thanks before she hopped into the backseat of Mark's jeep.

* * *

After about an hour of driving, Mark finally decided to stop for gas. The girls went inside to use the bathroom while Jackson joined him at the pump.

"What did I tell ya?" He began mischievously. "She's great, huh? And totally smokin' in a Joey Potter kinda way."

"Yeah," Jackson agreed with a chuckle. "She is great."

And he wasn't lying to his friend, April really did seem great. Mark had been talking about April Kepner for weeks and he had been reluctant to meet her because if there was one thing that he had learned about Mark Sloan in a short period of time was that he had a tendency to exaggerate and embellish. But she was everything that he had said. She was down-to-earth, nice, smart, and really attractive.

"I just don't think she's interested," he revealed. She seemed really uncomfortable around him. She had only said a handful of words to him on the drive so far, she had kept herself occupied with a book, and every time that their eyes met, she quickly looked away again.

Mark guffawed, "Have you seen yourself Avery? Of course she's interested! She's just shy." Jackson looked unsure so he continued, "Trust me; I've known this girl for years. Be patient, she's worth it."

April emerged from the gas station and walked towards them with a smile. "Do you guys want some snacks? I bought enough for everyone."

"I'm good, thanks." Mark finished gassing up the jeep and swiftly moved inside to pay for it.

"Do you want anything?" April asked Jackson. She looked down at the bag in her hand as she said, "Are you a Cheetos or Doritos kinda guy?"

He smiled brightly, "I like both, either is fine with me."

After exhausting the topic of snacks, they stood facing each other in silence before April mustered up the courage to address the elephant standing next to them. "I'm really sorry about all of this," she apologized. "This probably isn't what you had in mind for this weekend."

"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.

"Mark and Lexie trying to set us up," she clarified uneasily.

"Yeah, I kinda paid your dowry upfront," he joked charmingly.

April couldn't help but giggle at his comment. He _was_ nice so it seemed like the right thing to do to let him off the hook now. "You seem like a really nice guy so we can just pretend that this never happened and we can try to enjoy our weekend."

Jackson's face fell a little, so he had been right, she really wasn't interested. "Yeah, cool, that sounds great," he lied. "We can talk about medicine and the Packers!"

"Great," she smiled happily.

Lexie and Mark walked out of the gas station and so April and Jackson resumed their spots in the backseat. The red-head picked up her novel and didn't notice the sad, regretful look that Jackson sent her as Mark pulled back onto the highway.

* * *

They finally reached the cottage and April looked at it in awe as she hopped out of Mark's jeep. "Wow, this is beautiful," she murmured.

"Yeah," Jackson breathed in agreement as he stood next to her. "It's really freakin' nice." He knew that Mark came from money but the cottage was even bigger, and for a lack of a better word, fancier, than he had imagined.

"Come on you two!" Lexie yelled excitedly from the porch. "Let's unpack so we can go swimming!"

April began to walk towards the front door of the cottage and Jackson followed behind her. He had offered to carry her bag for her.

They stepped inside and looked around the living room and kitchen. It was just as nice on the inside. April couldn't help but notice that the kitchen was top of the line.

"You two can fight over the two bedrooms downstairs," Mark told them as he loaded the refrigerator with beer. His parents had a fully stocked bar upstairs but he had wanted to be prepared. "Lex and I have the room upstairs."

Jackson turned to April and offered politely, "You can choose. It doesn't matter to me."

"Thanks." She smiled at him before she grabbed her bag, headed towards the first bedroom, and closed the door.

"If everything goes as planned you'll be sharing the same bedroom anyway," Mark snickered.

Jackson rolled his eyes as he joined his friend in the kitchen. "We talked, she's not interested."

Mark raised both of his eyebrows in disbelief. He and Lexie had been so positive that April and Jackson would hit it off. His girlfriend had assured him that they were a great personality match while he was a firm believer that attraction and hormones would take over. They were two single, attractive people, they should be jumping each other's' bones. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "I'm not stupid. And it's fine," he shrugged.

It's not like he had planned on getting lucky this weekend or anything, well mostly because he hadn't expected April to be so great. To say that he had been sceptical about this weekend would be an understatement, so he hadn't anticipated actually liking the girl that Mark had set him up with. He had only been in town a month and the guy had already tried to get him laid a couple of times and they had been disastrous nights. Mark didn't seem to understand what he was into, but April was definitely his type.

"Just don't make her uncomfortable or anything about it," he added.

"Sure," Mark nodded. He sympathetically clapped the other man on the shoulder as he said, "Let's head down to the lake."

Meanwhile, April riffled through her bag in alarm. She certainly didn't approve of anything that Lexie had packed for her. She knew that it had been a terrible idea to leave her alone with her clothes! Mostly everything in her bag was "sexy".

She poked her head out the door and sighed in relief when she saw that the guys weren't around. "Lexie!" She yelled.

The brunette skipped over the stairs and towards the room her friend was staying in with a smile. "What's up?" She asked happily.

April narrowed her eyes as menacingly as she could. "You didn't pack anything that I can wear! Swimming or otherwise!"

Lexie grinned mischievously. "What are you talking about? I totally did." She breezed into the room and pulled a black, string bikini out of April's bag. "Wear this."

April vehemently shook her head. "No way, that's yours, it won't fit me."

"We're the same size except that your boobs are bigger than mine, which is why this will look unbelievable on you."

"I can't wear that," April whined as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Not in front of someone like Jackson, that will be so embarrassing." She didn't want him to think that she was trying too hard; she didn't want to look desperate.

"April," Lexie tried to reason, "you have such a great body. Show it off for once in your life!"

Lexie left the room and April sighed dejectedly before she changed her clothes.

* * *

Jackson dove into the water with an athletic flourish and resurfaced with a smile. He hadn't been swimming in a long time and the water felt great. Lexie jumped in after him while Mark stood on the wharf. He was wondering where April was but he didn't want to voice his thoughts aloud.

Fortunately, at that moment April appeared on the back deck and slowly made her way towards the lake. She had her hair pulled up into a ponytail but she was wearing the same clothes that she had been earlier.

"Where's your swimsuit Kepner?" Mark barked.

"Underneath my clothes," she muttered.

"Take them off or I'm throwing you in the lake," he told her threateningly.

She reflexively took a step backwards. "Mark, don't."

"Take them off," he repeated as he took a step forward.

She squealed as she grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off of her feet. "Okay! Okay! Just put me down!"

Mark laughed as he set her back on her feet. He hoped that Avery appreciated the extra effort that he was putting into getting Kepner out of her clothes.

April pulled her t-shirt over her head and maneuvered out of her shorts, and Jackson watched with more interest and focus than he had given his last chemistry midterm. He was thankful that he was in the water because holy shit…she was…she was so hot that…he couldn't even come up with an accurate comparison, that's how hot she was. She was like…idiotic stuttering, sweaty palms, and embarrassing south of the border situations hot. He had never seen skin look so soft and her entire body was just…swimsuit calendar worthy. The best part was that she didn't even know, he could tell by the bashful expression on her face that she had no idea how sexy she really was.

He finally stopped staring when Lexie cleared her throat. He shot her a small smile before he sheepishly looked away. He didn't want to come off as a pervert. He fully submerged himself in the water and did a somersault to distract himself as well as the others.

* * *

After their swim, they showered before congregating in the room upstairs that had a bar, a pool table, and a big screen television. April knew that Mark intended on getting very _very _drunk but she wasn't sure what she was going to do yet. She wasn't a frequent drinker but she might have a beer or two to relax.

The red-head accompanied Lexie down the stairs to grab some snacks from the kitchen.

"April!" Lexie squealed excitedly once they were alone. "Jackson couldn't stop staring at you!"

"What?" April asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Earlier! When we went swimming! When you were in your bikini he couldn't stop staring. I caught him."

"So what?" April shrugged. "That means that he's a guy, he's still not interested."

"You're blind and delusional," Lexie argued. "He's into you," she stated firmly. "I'd be willing to put big money on it."

April rolled her eyes. She thought that Lexie was the one that was delusional. The brunette wanted her to find somebody so bad that now she was seeing things that weren't there. Not everybody was as lucky as she and Mark, and April was okay with that. She would find the right guy…eventually.

But there was no way that Jackson Avery was interested in her.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Mark good-naturedly nudged his friend. "I thought your eyes were gonna bulge out of your head," he chuckled.

"Knock it off," Jackson muttered in embarrassment. "She's a beautiful woman."

Mark laughed boisterously, "You wanna screw her senseless, don't even try to be a gentleman about it."

Jackson pursed his lips in displeasure. "You're so crass." But he really hoped that April hadn't noticed his blatant staring. He wasn't normally so creepy.

"Relax," Mark encouraged. He decided not to pick on the fact that Avery hadn't even denied the fact that he wanted to sleep with April. He handed him a beer and smiled. "There ya go, enjoy. Maybe if you're lucky, Lexie and I will give you two some alone time."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Jackson sighed. "You're going to make it awkward," he groaned.

"I will not!" Mark promised as he dramatically placed his hand over his heart.

"Listen, don't—" Jackson abruptly stopped talking when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

The two women walked into the room with bags of chips and Mark offered them a drink. Lexie accepted one immediately whereas April thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip before she finally nodded and decided to have a beer.

Jackson took a long drink from his beer bottle as he watched the red-head walk around the pool table. "Do you play?" He asked conversationally.

April opened her mouth to respond but Mark interrupted her with a laugh. "Yeah, she plays, and she's really good. Don't let her hustle you."

"Yeah?" Jackson inquired with a smile.

"Yeah," she nodded shyly. "I have three brothers so I grew up with pool and football and cars, and a lot of other really un-girly things."

Jackson smiled to himself. He liked a girl who was a bit of a tomboy. "Wanna play a game?" He asked with a grin.

"Yes," she replied enthusiastically.

After a few games of pool and several drinks, Mark grew restless and dragged Lexie off to bed.

"Well, we're gonna turn in," Mark announced. "Avery, why don't you tell Kepner about your grandfather, well if you're not too busy devirginizing her."

Jackson squeezed his eyes shut in frustration while April blushed.

"Goodnight," they called as the couple left the room.

Jackson turned to her apologetically but April just smiled. "It's okay; he's never been very subtle."

He laughed, "Yeah, I haven't known him as long as you have but that's certainly true." He paused for a second before he added, "Do I lose cool points if I say I'm having a good time anyway?"

April laughed softly and felt her cheeks reddened even further. "No, not at all, I'm having a good time too."

"Great," Jackson grinned. He bent over the pool table and attempted another shot. He missed yet again. "I'm terrible," he chuckled.

"You're not terrible," she reassured him. She walked around the pool table and stood next to him. "You're just not that great," she giggled.

"What I am doing wrong?" He inquired as he glanced towards her. She was as good as Mark had claimed; she had hardly missed a shot all night. It was hot, and she looked way too good bending over that pool table.

April tilted her head to the side and observed him as he moved into position to take another shot. "You're too tense, like your grip is too tight. You need to…um…hold on…" She ducked under his arm and stood up straight once again, between him and the pool table. She realized that her body was essentially trapped by his but she tried not to let it get to her. She tried not to pay attention to his hot breath or appealing smell, or the feel of his muscular chest against her back. She reached forward and touched his hand that was resting on the pool table. "Relax this hand."

"Like this?" He asked huskily as he repositioned his hand.

"Yeah, that's better," she whispered.

He tilted his head and leaned forward to kiss her but she quickly jumped away in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Jackson apologized immediately. "I don't know why I did that, you said you weren't interested." He inwardly chastised himself; he really shouldn't have done that. It had been such a chump move to try to kiss her. He had gotten caught up in the moment.

"I didn't say that," April argued as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "I just thought that you wouldn't be interested."

Jackson furrowed his brow in confusion. "I never said that either. Why wouldn't I be interested?"

April awkwardly shifted her feet and walked to the other side of the pool table. "I just assumed," she mumbled. "I mean…I don't…I…" She took a deep breath to compose herself. "You're pretty perfect," she offered in explanation. "It just seemed so unlikely that you'd be interested in me."

Jackson looked down at his shoes and frowned. He encountered this problem more often than not, it was really freakin' annoying. "I'm definitely not perfect," he stated firmly. She arched an eyebrow in challenge and he gladly accepted it. "I snore. I'm messy; you should see my room, clothes _everywhere_. I'm a really unhealthy eater, the greasier the better. I spend way too much time watching sports. I don't get along with my Dad and I overrun my routes all the time," he added light-heartedly. He laid the pool stick down on the table and tentatively approached her before he spoke again, "And I probably have more pairs of shoes than you do."

She laughed and lightly smacked his chest. "See, you even admit your faults. Perfect."

"Tell me some bad things about you," he requested softly. "Right now, you seem pretty perfect to me."

She coyly looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You're being very charming right now."

He smiled as he took another step forward and rested his hand on the edge of the pool table alongside of her hip. "I try," he teased. "So tell me some things," he repeated after a moment. "You intrigue me."

"Umm," she pondered as she bit down on her bottom lip. "I'm freakishly neat. I don't go out a lot, so I guess you could say I'm pretty tightly wound and a little boring. I grew up on a farm so I'm like physically incapable of sleeping in, I have to get up early and that annoys a lot of people. I drink a lot of coffee. I love watching cooking shows. I haven't had a boyfriend in three years," she confessed timidly. "_And_," she began before things got too intense, "I can't stand watching baseball."

Jackson exaggerated a wince. "Wow, that's a deal breaker."

"So is the fact that you consistently overrun your routes," she giggled.

He feigned hurt. "Ouch."

She continued to laugh as he reached forward to cup her face and draw her into a kiss. April melted into him without much of a fight, her hands settled on his waist and she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

One of his hands remained on her jaw, with his fingers slipping into the hair at the back of her neck, while the other rested on the small of her back. She felt very delicate in his arms and he liked the feeling a lot.

She slowly pulled away from him and hummed pleasantly before licking her lips. She shyly smiled at him before she glanced back down at the pool table. "Wanna play another game?"

"Sure," he grinned. "But after you beat me, _again_, can we play something that I'm good at?"

"Sure," she laughed pleasantly.

* * *

_**Saturday**_

Jackson smiled to himself as he stumbled into the kitchen and found April making breakfast. She was fully dressed in black shorts and a green, long-sleeved top. It also seemed like she was full of energy and it was only half past seven. "You weren't lying about getting up early," he said through a yawn as he absentmindedly scratched his stomach.

Even though she had revealed that tidbit of information, he was still surprised to find her awake so early. They had stayed up pretty late last night, they had talked for hours. They had gotten to know each other while playing pool and poker. He was much better at poker than he was at pool and she was pretty bad at the card game. She couldn't lie, her face gave everything away and it was adorable.

"No, I wasn't," she laughed. "I hope that you like French toast."

He moved to stand next to her at the stove and longingly looked down at the pans of French toast and bacon. "I love French toast. I love all food really," he added with a chuckle. "I'm not very hard to please in the food department."

She laughed once again as she tried to remain focused on her cooking. She couldn't seem to stop laughing when she was around him, he was one of the funniest guys that she had ever met and she sounded like a giggling schoolgirl when he was near. "Good to know."

"Do you like to cook?" He asked curiously.

"I love it, and I like to think that I'm pretty good at it," she stated confidently.

"Well," he grinned, "we shall see."

She turned to him and gently pushed on his chest, and quickly realized that he didn't have a shirt on. Her eyes travelled southward and she discovered that he was standing next to her in just his boxers. "Do you own clothes?" She asked as she felt blush spread across her cheeks. She had never seen such a well chiseled body in real life. It was a little unnerving. Seeing him yesterday down by the lake had been bad enough, but now he was standing right next to her. She could practically feel the body heat radiating off of him.

There was no way that he was as unhealthy of an eater as he said.

"Yeah, but I don't really like them," he joked. He grabbed a piece of bacon out of the frying pan and popped it into his mouth. He chuckled when she smacked his hand as he reached for another. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized.

"Go put on some clothes and then you can have some breakfast," she scolded.

He gently squeezed her upper arms before he did as he was told and returned to his room to dress. He pulled on a pair of swimming trunks; chances were that they were going to swim in the lake later, and a plain, white t-shirt. "Can I eat now?" He inquired teasingly as he returned to the kitchen.

She smiled as she handed him a plate full of food. "Here you go!"

He took the plate from her but his hand lingered on hers. He quickly placed the plate on the kitchen counter and pulled her into him. "Can I kiss you again?" He whispered.

She nodded as her eyes flickered down to his lips and he didn't question her any further. He placed his hands on her petite waist and dipped his head to claim her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and passionately returned his kiss.

They were so caught up in each other that they didn't hear footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh my God!" Lexie gasped as she stepped into the kitchen.

April instantly tore herself away from Jackson and covered her blushing face. Jackson looked down at his feet and awkwardly brushed a hand over his head.

"You two!" The brunette gushed. She was practically clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

"I, um, gotta go," April mumbled before she ran into her room.

"God dammit," Lexie swore under her breath. "I shouldn't have said anything. Now she's embarrassed."

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Jackson asked softly.

Lexie shook her head. "No, that's okay, I'll do it."

She took a deep breath before she willed herself towards the guestroom that April was staying in. She softly knocked on the door to announce herself before she stepped into the room. April was sitting on the bed with her book in front of her face and she was deliberately not making any eye contact.

Lexie waited as long as she could before she blurted out, "You were just kissing him!"

April dropped her novel and looked at Lexie sternly. "I know that, I was participating in it."

"So you like him?" Lexie questioned excitedly as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, I like him," April admitted timidly. "He's really nice and really funny, and _really_ hot, and he's a good kisser."

Lexie covered her mouth with a hand to contain a string of girlish squeals. "Well that's great!" She babbled. "See! I told you he was into you."

April blushed and muttered, "Yeah I suppose he is." She paused before she added, "Don't tell Mark, at least not yet, you know how he gets."

Lexie nodded in understanding. "Okay, fine." She knew that it would be hard to hide something from her boyfriend but she would try.

After some more girl talk, the two women returned to the kitchen where Jackson had finished his breakfast and had already washed his dishes in the sink.

"Breakfast was amazing, thanks April."

She smiled softly. "You're welcome."

They stood in silence until Jackson announced, "Well, I'm gonna go for a run, I'll be back in a bit."

He needed to go for a run not only to keep up his workout regime, but he needed to clear his head as well. He really liked April but he was afraid of rushing things. He needed to contemplate his next move.

* * *

April giggled as she sat on the edge of the wharf and dipped her toes in the lake while she and Jackson conversed. Mark and Lexie were on the back patio starting the barbeque for dinner so she and Jackson were essentially alone, and once again, she couldn't stop laughing at him.

"You have the cutest laugh," he commented dreamily.

"Thanks," she replied as she felt her face flush.

She had the cutest laugh, she knew football, she was smart, she could cook, and she looked unbelievable in a bathing suit, today she was wearing a very nice midnight blue bikini. He had most likely found the perfect woman. He shifted closer towards her until their bare arms were touching. He looked down at her hand resting on the edge of the wharf and after a moment of debate, he placed his hand over hers. He smiled when she turned her palm upward so that they could entwine their fingers.

"Sorry I kissed you in the kitchen," he apologized quietly.

"It's okay," she responded quickly. "It was nice and Lexie was bound to find out eventually. It wasn't a big deal."

He sighed in relief. He had been deathly afraid that she would be scared away because of what had happened this morning, but he was over the moon that she wasn't.

"So, where are you applying for med school?" She asked curiously.

"My family will probably die if I don't go to Harvard," he groaned, "but I really like it here."

She smiled at his response. "What kind of medicine are you interested in?" She asked as a follow-up.

"Surgery, definitely," he answered with a firm nod.

She smiled brightly. "Me too!"

"Really?" He asked incredulously.

She nodded and he grinned back at her. Yeah, she was kind of the perfect woman. "I wanna kiss you again," he murmured.

She hung her head so that her long hair covered her blushing face. He was sitting next to her, without a shirt on, and he just sounded so casual about the fact that he wanted to kiss her. Guys that looked like him didn't normally want to kiss girls like her. He had pecs and abs and…he just looked delicious.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Mark and Lexie had popped back inside the house so she leaned forward and kissed him hungrily.

When she pulled back he took a deep breath and willed his body to calm down. "Okay," he sighed, "whoa." He took another deep breath before he launched himself into the lake.

April laughed and tried to shield herself from the splash that he created.

* * *

"They seem to be hitting it off," Mark commented as stepped onto the patio and watched Avery pull April into the lake with him. "I don't understand why he thinks she's not interested," he said to himself in confusion. He turned to his girlfriend with a furrowed brow. "Is she interested?"

"I think so," Lexie answered evasively. "Ya know April; she's just playing it safe."

"Well," Mark began mischievously as he threw a few steaks on the barbeque. "Maybe we should turn up the heat a little."

Lexie shook her head as she sidled up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I think that we should let them figure things out on their own."

He looked down at her suspiciously. "What do you know?"

"Nothing," she answered innocently.

"Alexandra Caroline Grey, tell me what you know," he demanded playfully as he squeezed her waist.

She sighed before she gave in. She couldn't keep secrets from him and that wasn't a bad thing for their relationship. "I caught them making out in the kitchen this morning!" Mark's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "But I didn't tell you that!" She added quickly.

Mark chuckled, "Fine, I won't say anything." She stared back at him disbelievingly and he responded by kissing her forehead. "I promise."

* * *

After a delicious barbeque dinner, they gathered in the recreation room upstairs for another night of drinking.

"Let's play 'Never Have I Ever'," Mark suggested with a devilish excitement as he stood up.

April rolled her eyes but tried not to appear too uncomfortable. Jackson, who was sitting next to her on the couch, shot her a small, reassuring smile.

"Just one round," Mark bargained.

"Fine," April acquiesced with a nod.

"Never have I ever thought about someone in this room naked," he stated with a smirk. He took a drink from his beer and waited for everyone else in the room to do the same. Lexie followed his lead and Avery bashfully sipped from his beer as well. He stared at April with an arched eyebrow as he waited for her to take that tell-tale drink. She finally did after looking at him in annoyance and he smiled triumphantly as he noticed Avery grin in satisfaction.

Lexie smiled knowingly at her boyfriend before she took her turn. However, April interrupted her before she got a chance to speak. "Never have I ever soiled someone else's couch," she shot at her roommate accusingly.

Mark and Lexie both chuckled and exchanged desirous looks as they drank.

"I sense a story," Jackson stated with a laugh.

April turned to him and explained. "Let's just say that I bought a couch for our place and they were quick to take advantage of it."

Mark shrugged shamelessly. "It's a great couch; you got your money's worth Kepner."

"You two are just…I don't even know…" April finished in frustration.

Jackson laughed lightly as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. With every passing minute that he spent with her, his attraction to her grew. He really just wanted to be alone with her so that he could get to know her better, especially after virtually admitting that he had imagined her naked. He glanced towards Sloan and the other guy must have understood his silent request.

"Let's go for a walk, babe."

Lexie looked up at Mark and smiled brightly. "Great idea! It's such a beautiful night." She got up out of her chair and grabbed Mark's hand. "Don't wait up," she called over her shoulder.

April sighed as her two friends disappeared. Once again, they were incapable of being subtle. She angled her body towards Jackson's and sent him a coy smile. "It's a good thing that we're getting along or otherwise all this alone time that they're giving us would be really awkward."

Jackson laughed and nodded in agreement. "But we're not playing pool, just so we're clear."

She giggled as she ran a hand through her hair. "Okay."

"We could watch a movie," he proposed tentatively.

She took a small sip of beer as she avoided his gaze. She knew that he was trying to be respectful by not making a move and that he would ask first before he kissed her again, but his politeness was starting to frustrate her a little. She was feeling rather bold and confident tonight. She wasn't used to taking charge in these situations but she quickly realized that she might have to. She laid the bottle of beer in her hand on the coffee table in front of them before she scooted towards him and brought her face closer to his. She paused for just a fraction of a second before she pressed her mouth against his.

Jackson responded immediately and one of his hands tangled in her hair while the other settled on her bare knee.

The way that they were kissing and touching was innocent enough but there was a very distinct tension building between them. They were two consenting adults so one thing was most certainly going to lead to another…

April's hand slid down his chest and slipped underneath his sweater. He groaned as her hand made contact with his bare skin. He pulled away from her somewhat reluctantly and spoke breathlessly, "Just so you know, we don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

She smiled at him in thanks. "Can we just make out?"

"Yeah," he answered. "That sounds awesome." He brushed his nose along hers as he joked, "There's no need for us to soil someone else's couch."

April pressed her face into his neck and laughed boisterously.

* * *

After hours of kissing, and petting, Jackson and April finally decided to go to bed. He walked her to her bedroom door but she was reluctant to let him go. She clutched his sweater with both hands and smiled up at him.

"Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?" She asked as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Definitely," he nodded.

She pulled him into the room without any further conversation.

He sat down on her bed and watched her grab her toothbrush and clothes. "I usually just sleep in my boxers, is that okay?"

"Yep," she answered quickly. She gave him a soft kiss before she told him that she would be right back.

He stripped out of his clothes and crawled into the bed. She returned from the bathroom minutes later in a tank top and shorts. She turned off the light before she joined him in bed.

"I hope you're not a kicker," he said playfully.

"I'm not," she laughed, "but I do get cold so I tend to hog the covers."

Jackson rolled over onto his side and wrapped his arm around her waist. He tugged her against his chest and intertwined their feet. "I'll see what I can do about fixing that," he whispered gruffly.

April smiled to herself as she cuddled into him and closed her eyes.

* * *

_**Sunday**_

Jackson awoke and slowly opened his eyes to find April lying on her stomach, wide awake, with a bright smile on her face. He was lying on his back and they were no longer hugging or spooning, but their feet were still tangled together. "What?" He asked huskily as he stretched his arms above his head.

"You're right," she grinned, "you do snore."

He grinned back at her. "But it's adorable, right?"

She scrunched up her nose and giggled. "Not really."

He laughed before he playfully poked her side. She squealed and shifted away from him and his eyes widened excitedly. "You're ticklish?" He gasped.

"No, I'm not," she protested immediately.

"You so are!"

Both of his hands found her waist and although she tried to fight him off, he clearly had the advantage and she was giggling uncontrollably in no time. He rolled her beneath him and continued to tickle her. He eventually showed her mercy and stopped. His hands stilled and he held himself above her as she tried to catch her breath.

"That really wasn't fair," she panted.

He smiled down at her unapologetically. "I'm ticklish too," he finally confessed.

"Really?" She smiled. She experimentally brushed her hands down his sides and he squirmed. She giggled in delight and increased the pressure of her movements.

Apparently turnabout was fair play because he began to laugh and he flopped over onto his back. She crawled on top of him but stopped tickling when she came into contact with his…little friend.

"Sorry, it's…uh…the morning," he offered in explanation once he noticed the change in her expression.

"Right," she breathed.

"Not that you're not a contributing factor." She laughed shyly before she leaned down to kiss him. "Because obviously you're part of the reason," he continued to ramble as he kissed her. He groaned in frustration before saying, "Just, uh, forget everything I've said in the past couple minutes."

"Okay," she giggled.

He sat up and she slid into his lap. His breath hitched due to the change in position and the way that her body felt against his. Her hands slipped up his chest and settled on his shoulders while his hands wrapped around her waist. His fingers splayed out to feel the sliver of bare skin between her tank top and shorts.

"Contrary to what Mark said the other night, I have done this before, but it's been a while," she told him honestly.

"Like I said last night, we don't have to do anything you don't want."

"I want to," she whispered in his ear. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and repeated her statement. "I want to."

And how could she not? He was sweet, funny, and smart…and just everything that she wanted in a guy…and he was sex on legs.

He pulled back from her and tucked her hair behind her ears. He held her face as he smiled at her sweetly. "I want to too but…How about we wait until we get back to the city? Until we're completely alone?" He didn't want to risk getting interrupted or worse.

She smiled brightly and kissed him again. "That sounds great."

"And in the meantime, we can just…"

"Make out?" She finished with a grin.

He nodded as he deposited her onto the other side of the bed and hovered over her. "Uh huh, exactly," he muttered in between kisses.

* * *

Mark pulled up in front of Lexie and April's house and Jackson energetically jumped out of the jeep. He headed towards the back to retrieve the luggage and Mark joined him while April pulled Lexie aside.

"Go to Mark's place and spend the night there," the red-head demanded desperately.

"Why?" Lexie asked with a raised eyebrow and a knowing grin.

April blushed and rolled her eyes. She glanced back at Jackson before she answered. "Come on, you know why."

Lexie crossed her arms over her chest. "Not until you say thank you."

April laughed softly and threw her arms around her friend. "Thank you for setting me up with him," she whispered. "Now, please, leave."

Lexie laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm going." She was willing to steer clear of their place all week if necessary. It had been way too long since April had gotten her freak on.

She got back into the passenger seat of the jeep and Mark turned to her curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Staying at your place for a little while," she replied. "April and Jackson want to be _alone_."

Mark triumphantly raised his hands in the air. "Yes!"

Lexie laughed at her boyfriend's reaction as she leaned forward to kiss him. "We are the best matchmakers ever."

"Hell yeah, we are," he smirked. "Now let's go do some making of our own."

"You're cheesy but I love you," she laughed.

She kissed him again before she looked back at the house where April was frantically unlocking the door and pulling Jackson inside behind her. It seemed like April would probably be thanking her for a while.

* * *

April led Jackson by the hand through the house and towards her bedroom. "This is my room," she told him with a smile.

"It's nice," he gulped. "Clean. Neat."

She giggled as she started to pull his t-shirt over his head. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his neck as she whispered, "We're alone."

"Yeah, we are," he breathed seductively. And after this morning, he was more than ready to be alone with her. The looks that they had exchanged on the drive back had been torturous. He placed his hands on her hips and guided her back towards her bed. She fell back onto the mattress and he wasted no time in pressing his body into hers. He slipped her shirt off and she immediately went to work on his belt. "We could always study for the MCAT," he joked light-heartedly.

April giggled as she gently tickled his sides. "Yeah that sounds way better," she replied sarcastically.

He laughed before capturing her lips in an intense kiss.

Neither of them had expected to end the weekend this way and it was a very pleasant surprise. It was hard to be mad at their friends for setting them up when things had turned out so well.

So they supposed that they owed Mark and Lexie…just a little bit.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :)**


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